I was watching my wife build a fire in our wood stove yesterday, and it was remarkable how much different her method was then mine. She is a strong believer in the teepee method. I lay two splits down parallel to each other, stuff newspaper in between, and then basically build a log cabin of kindling on top. (One match fire, hasn't failed yet this season!)

I use the top down method, works great for me on our Super 27. I like it because on those really cold days when the chimney is stone cold it helps having the tightly twisted newspaper right at the very top of the pile helping warm that chimney and getting that draft going. The key is having enough kindling and newspaper on top of your splits.

The key is having enough kindling and newspaper on top of your splits.

Click to expand...

Not only enough kindling, but DRY enough kindling. I ran out of kindling and went up in the yard and started picking up twigs that mother natured had dropped for me. Needless to say, it wasnt the driest of kindling. I had to do a bottom up fire to get it going.

The key is having enough kindling and newspaper on top of your splits.

Click to expand...

Not only enough kindling, but DRY enough kindling. I ran out of kindling and went up in the yard and started picking up twigs that mother natured had dropped for me. Needless to say, it wasnt the driest of kindling. I had to do a bottom up fire to get it going.

I was watching my wife build a fire in our wood stove yesterday, and it was remarkable how much different her method was then mine. She is a strong believer in the teepee method. I lay two splits down parallel to each other, stuff newspaper in between, and then basically build a log cabin of kindling on top. (One match fire, hasn't failed yet this season!)

What's your method?

Click to expand...

Kindling with firestarters then once they get going add some smaller splits then some bigger smaller splits and it's off to the races.

4-6 full size splits, 1/4 Super Cedar in the middle, light, close door, have a shot of Eagle Rare, neat of course, adjust air, done. I figure the 100 SC's I bought this year should last several years before I need to contemplate a different method. Or a second order.

I use two small 1/4 pieces E/W on top of that two pieces ( very small) pine withe some bark and very thin scraps and some Fat wood. lights very quick

6lb maul
HUSQUVARNA 460
BIS wood stove
and a weak back from about a week back
As the say in drivers ed "thems the breaks"
the worst 8 words you can ever hear: We're the government and we're here to help

For a cold start I usually start a quick hot fire with kindling, then load on the bigger stuff.

Here's what I do:
On a 1-2 inch bed of ash build a pile of construction debris, twigs, and bark with a super cedar in middle. Light super cedar with long match. With in 5-10 min everything is cooking. Close the door. Close the draft down a bit. Let it burn out usually about 45 min. Stove top temps usually around 300-350 with a hot bed of coals. Then carve out a valley in the coals from front to back. Two big EW splits. Let them catch. 3 or 4 NS splits on top. Let them catch. Jam in whatever else I can (usually 2 or 3 skinny EW on top). Let it catch. With in 15 minutes close the door. Adjust the draft accordingly. Turn the fan on when it passes 350. Let it go for 6 hours or so.

2 regular splits n/s, spaced apart, fill in the middle with smaller splits and some kindling.
3 pieces of kindling e/w front, middle, back
4-5 smaller splits, 2"x2" or so n/s
e/w kindling again
more small splits and kindling on top n/s

2 small pieces of "starter logg" shoved in between the 2nd layer of small stuff
Light, close door, not latched, once fire is well established latch door. Adjust air setting as desired.

This will usually burn 4hrs. with no other tending. Well other than to sit there and stare at the fire. ;-)

To make the smaller splits, I have my electric splitter in the basement and just split down a couple regular splits into 2x2 or about pieces

I'm still working with this stove to find the best way to use it, but per the directions and my own experience, I start with a small ball of newspaper and 8 or 10 pieces of kindling, tepee style. My kindling is 1 x 4 and 2 x 4s, doug fir, that I've split into small pieces. I have the damper open and the air wide open. I light that, and let it burn.
Five minutes or so later, I open the top and drop a few bigger pieces of the same kindling in. A few more minutes after that, I open the top and load some big stuff in. I really like the top loading feature, as I can do this and not worry about anything falling out. After I have all the wood I want in, and it is burning good, I watch the thermometer on the stove top until it gets to about 500 degress. That's when I close the damper, routing the smoke through the cat, and bring the air down to the spot where I know the stove will burn at about 450 degrees, and then I can sit down and relax.

Anyone who uses this stove see anything I'm doing wrong, or have any suggestions? I really like my stove. It is pretty easy to use, and easily heats up my small, well-insulated cabin.

• (4) Medium or Medium/Large splits
• Bottom two N/S
• Top two E/W
• I need to try 1/4 SC since 1/2 seems like overkill
• Bypass open
• Boost air with door cracked for about 15 minutes before I close door
• At 30 minutes I close my bypass